Care home criticised for ‘inadequate’ care

SAFETY CONCERNS Inspectors found standards at Woodlands Care Home were inadequate.

Published:13:00Saturday 28 February 2015

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Safety concerns have been raised about a care home which has been branded ‘inadequate’.

Woodlands Care Home in Sands Lane, Mirfield, failed to improve on inspectors’ findings from May 2014.

The Care Quality Commission’s latest report says the home was inadequate in all five of their criteria –being safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led – during a November inspection.

Woodlands residents include those with dementia and mental health needs.

One section of the report reads: “We saw three people on Calder unit had bruising on their skin. Staff were unable to explain how the bruising was caused for two people.

“The other person had bruising to their face. We asked a staff member how this had happened and they said the person had fallen and banged their face on the table. This accident was not recorded.”

Hygiene issues were also raised. “One bedroom smelt of faeces and had brown stains on the wall. Cleaning staff confirmed they had cleaned the room,however these stains were still present when we visited the next day. In another person’s room we saw a used vomit bowl was left in the person’s room for two days.”

Inspectors also wrote: “We had concerns about how people were protected from abuse and found in practice staff lacked understanding of what constituted abuse and how to keep people safe.”

Mirfield, Thornhill and Calder units were the main problem areas, particularly the last two. People on the Hopton unit received the care they needed, the report says.

Speciality Care (REIT Homes) Limited, part of Four Seasons Health Care, are responsible for the home.

In a statement, the company said: “The well-being of people entrusted to our care is our first priority and we are extremely sorry that the care at Woodlands fell below the standards that we expect all of our care homes to provide.

“We have accepted the CQC’s requirements and recommendations and we are implementing a comprehensive improvement plan. This is being overseen by members of our senior regional management team.

“We are recruiting a new home manager together with additional nursing staff.

“The plan includes more rigorous monitoring to ensure our processes and procedures to support quality of care are strictly followed. As part of this we are also conducting refresher training for all staff.

“Staffing levels are being assessed on a weekly basis to ensure the appropriate number and skills mix for the needs of residents.”